Procol Harum - Wreck of the Hesperus (High Quality)

[2m6m3sbx]

Like the comment:Music for the emotially wise.Bought all Procol albums when I was young.Think this music is by Matthew Fisher.Was he too talented,was he a threat to Gary,cause he left the band.They are still fighting.Anyway:Matthew is a great musician,but the big thing of the band is Gary Brookers singing.His voice and the music,which owns much to classic music,is the thing that makes this band one of the great bands of the British music.Maybe,to me,the best after,of course The Beatles.

[eraser966]

THE BEST

[fiddude1]

sounds like "NO hope forever lost" not "all hope forever lost"

"

[stevo5498]

i bought this album in 1972 (i think) from my old mate Iggy, i still have the vynal, plus broken barriades & shine on brightly

[ronrizzi]

@Tedisntakidanymore your Dad had the openess and prescence of mind to sit down and listen with you that says alot and means alot. lucky for me music was a big part of the home experience. Happy Holidays to you and your Dad where ever he is!

[TheSkunk68]

Bellissima.testo incredibile.

[LexL94]

What the hell was the person that gave that 1 dislike thinking?

[longboarder771]

juicyjpink Definitely in the top 40 list of greatest albums of all time. I still have this on vinyl, still well preserved, still played & still looks good, thanks to the plastic cover that I bought to keep it in.

[DavidWhite154]

Good music for the emotionally wise. I love trolling old Procol Harum tracks on you tube, especially when I am feeling down.

[Tedisntakidanymore]

I grew up in a very strict home. My Dad was a lifer in the US Marine Corps and retired as a Master Gunnery Sergeant (If you know anything about the Corps, you know what type of person I'm talking about) He hated rock but when I sat him down to listen to this album, he listened, and then he turned to me and said, "Son, that's beautiful music. Reminds me of church." (His highest compliment!) He died of ALS last year, and when I listen to this, I think of the old man. Bless you, Gunny!

[BicPentameter]

My dad was an army lifer who died of lung cancer on St Patrick's day 2010. He hated rock n roll, too. He could tolerate the end of Layla, Court of the Crimson King, parts of Mass in F Minor (Deep Purple), but for the most part, my records weren't music. He bought me a portable stereo to keep that racket out of the living room. He forbid me to have an electric guitar, and when I bought one anyway it was several days before he spoke to me, and it was never really quite the same.

I'm Ted, too.

[spacepatrolman]

@BicPentameter mass in f minor was the electric prunes wasnt it david axelrod arranged that my father was just the oposite he bought me an electric guitar when i left rock songbooks on the piano he played them

[spacepatrolman]

@Tedisntakidanymore Somebody called procol harums music church rock sorry you lost your father I had a friend in the neighborhood who was in the marines in guadalcanal the everly brothers enlisted in the marine reserve because if they were drafted their career would have been hung up for 6 years

[EssenseMusic]

i found my dad's copy of Salty Dog and it quickly became one of my favorite albums. Not enough people know about Procol Harum

[Moodiesfanalways]

Make haste your funeral, cries the valkyrie!

I bought the "A Salty Dog" album around Sept. of 1969 along with the Moodies "On The Threshold Of A Dream" and some Fairport Convention and Pentangle albums with my tax refund check. This was the song that nearly knocked my socks off, and still does. Sadly, this was Mathew's last involvement with the band. I have really been digging on the 2006 live dvd recently. If only Mathew could have sung this with the band. If only.....

[dunwitchhorror]

@juicypink

not the greatest. But shurely one of the Greatest.

[chippy783]

Heard whter shade... ho hum. Then I heard this and WOW. These guys really push the envelope through the 70's. Grande Hotel is just as cool. Sorry at the reunion but dug the Prodigal stranger. Oh well.life goes on... thanks Harum

[hermitcrabbot]

I have a slight disagreement with some here. First things First, however. This song has

THE perfect arrangement, and Trower's guitar makes me weep with joy. It's an emotional

Tour-de-force. However, as moving as Matthew Fisher's voice my be, I believe this song

would have been even greater had Gary Brooker done the vocal. Nevertheless, this

song is awesome.

[orlandomarquez00]

WAO!!!!

[progmeck1]

ARTWORK !!!!!!!!!

[deanslist101]

The great thing about Procol Harum was that their early albums generally followed specific themes or motifs. "A Salty Dog" had maritime-related songs, "Home" was all about death, "Shine on Brightly" was a lot of mysticism, "Grand Hotel" was largely about opulent living, and so on. I saw them in person at least 5 or 6 times and they never disappointed, even through their multiple personnel changes.

[AbyssDeathGhost]

Man, I need a shirt with that cover on it.

[ffchatter]

@AbyssDeathGhost

if you go to the procol harum fansite you might get one

[bass109]

Jesus is lord, rock 

[vinstyles]

this is soooooo beautiful. Just and amazing group. They've thrown the kitchen sink at this one and it's fantastic. Thanks for loading..

[Rahoorkhuitable]

What a song and the perfect voice for it.

The infinite has got us again-what?

The infinite - the sea that rolls around the sun...

[Rahoorkhuitable]

What a song and the perfect voice for it.

[Rahoorkhuitable]

Well done

[harrynicholas]

I was told (!?) that the songs on salty dog were all recovered from the bin by the cleaner....

[SuperNevile]

Fisher didn't write the lyrics ~ Keith Reid wrote the lyrics on all the PH albums. Matthew wrote the song and a nice piece of piano playing it is too! At least he got two songs on this album. On the 1st he got one ~ altho' that is credited to Brooker/Reid on the (replay) album I have!! On the 2nd album he shared two songs with Brooker/Reid. Reminds me of that other chap, can't remember his name, who played in the Beatles. (joking). Was "Pilgrims Progress" the last ever Fisher song on a PH album?

[pylgrym]

Matthew Fisher was no Longfellow!

[OlaNATungee12]

incredibble powerful...

[indokiddo]

first dislike! woohoo!

[genalof]

Without Peer

[ffchatter]

what is demonstrated here by the guitarist and drummer is subtlety which seems to be unknown now

[bbecker284]

Sheer bloody poetry! The most artculate rock band ever!

[vulcan1948]

@bbecker284 Well said!! brilliant musicians in this band.

[chriskar5]

Fantastic song (like all Matthew Fisher's songs) .It is a shame that Brooker did not have him sing more. I love his voice and style. This song was a disaster with brooker attempting to sing it. Same with "Pilgrims' Progress".Thank you for posting.It is a fantastic album....and of course produced by Matthew Fisher.

[thatwilldonicely]

this and of course the title track 'Salty dog' seem as though they should be part of some colossal Wagnerian opera, simply amazing stuff, a very great musical artistic acheivement

[280553vs]

WOW, AMAZING! I LOVE THESE GUYS...

[LegZoff]

Awesome tune

[757TP]

@LegZoff

Agree, but can you imagine Brooker singing it with his great voice?

[slideharp1]

@757TP Yes, but a band with more than one good singer has more versatility and a more interesting sound. i.e. The Band (three great singers) and Heads, Hands & Feet (ditto).

[SuperDrummer2012]

@slideharp1 agree

[SuperDrummer2012]

@757TP mathew fisher had 2 great solo albums can t find them

[MangoChunks]

@SuperDrummer2012 I've been lucky enough to find both of the great 70's era Matthew Fisher records on vinyl. I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt that it's exactly everything I want to hear on a rock record. If you like this stuff check out John Cale's Vintage Violence and Paris 1919. Literary-classical rock! The greatest genre of all time!

[HarryHaller1963]

Holy sh*t, what a great song!

[mobyboy]

splendid !

[MangoChunks]

There will never be a better song about a shipwreck! Truly a band among few that represented rock n roll as a fine art.

It was fun to read in the sleeve that BJ Wilson played on a few tracks from Lou Reed's Berlin, especially on Lady Day, which is a really devastating and suspenseful arrangement thanks to him no doubt!

[Rawego]

@MangoChunks can't wait 'till they come out with a song about a train wreck, my favorite!!! :))

[SuperDrummer2012]

@MangoChunks great own style drumma

[Adominae]

@MangoChunks Thanks. I didn't know that B.J played on "Berlin".

[the1zedog]

Can anyone explain why this band is not in the R&R Hall of Fame?

[alcalaed]

@the1zedog Because R&R Hall of Fame is an absurd institution... Supporting bands like aerosmith and blink 182...

[the1zedog]

@alcalaed True, but it's still great when the deserving get in. It seems they respect the 50's classics, Motown, the mega stars of classic rock, and all later genres, but they miss the boat on most of the great British classic rock bands (these people carried music for 2 decades) unless they were "popular," which is the kiss of death.

[wychwood7]

Procol in the hall of fame; how do we do that?And which version?With the bad feelings between Brooker and Fisher after the authorship suits,how could it all come together?

[the1zedog]

@wychwood7 how do they handle the matter of changing lineups with other bands? Yardbirds? Personal disputes are irrelevant. Certainly the 2 primary lineups from the 60's and 70's should be there. Ironically, I suppose the more recent lineup with Jeff, Matt etc has been together longer than any of the rest, but not as prolific. Still, that is no excuse for leaving the band out.

[conpajarosenlacabeza]

Most moving song. The orchestra touch adds some very fierce sense of sea storm or something like that. Masterfully crafted, beautiful music.

[mintkeith]

I love the constant piano in the background.

The song builds to a crescendo that resembles a crashing wave.

[Nacho66]

We're all in agreement - Procol Harum was an incredible machine.

[ummerrahh]

I love this song....I was so bummed when Matthew Fisher left the band

[rj2046]

Nuts??? whats wrong with favoring 1 song over another? As for "Repent Walpurgis" ??? Don't care for it.

[alcoholichealer]

astoundishing song

[Rawego]

Bach is spinning in his grave... AND HE LIKES IT! :))

[Yourmomisnthere]

@Rawego

He'll like it better when Procol Harum gets into the damn Rock Hall! These songs are basically poetic and orchestrated, how dare they put Run-DMC and ABBA before Procol Harum!

[missdebbielee]

Does anyone have "Too Much Between Us"? That and this song (The Wreck Of The Hesperus) are my very favorite Procol Harum songs!

[Found4words]

missdebbielee, you can find "Too Much Between Us" if you search for it with the quotation marks. allennnnnn91 has posted it.

Glad to hear some appreciation for the less known gems from Procol Harum ... and there are so many!

Thanks, ESaetre, for this lovely post, and for the words, they add so much to the enjoyment!

[pwookie]

You sir , are wonderful!!! Thanks again!

[missdebbielee]

@found4words- thank you sooooo much!I love Procol Harum!

[Found4words]

@missdebbielee - you are most welcome! Don't know where you live, but did you know that they are going to the States this summer? Five dates in Eastern US and one in Toronto ... search for: "Beyond the Pale" fan site

and click on PH Concerts in 2010 if you want to see details. Wish I could go!

[johnnymagic10]

how could one ever choose a fav PH tune?

[pwookie]

That's true! They don't make 'em like they used to!

[tiddler111]

reckon tony banks had this in mind when he worked on giant hogweed

[music4acting]

Awesome! My favorite band of all time! Robin Trower was the guitarist who made me weep like a baby. I think I was doing some chemical shit, but so what. Ha!

[gfterp]

Another Bond/Procol paralell has occurred to me... the desciptions of Casinos in several Bond novels, and PH's "Grand Hotel". Did Reid read Fleming?

[gfterp]

I'm surprised no-one has referred to the cover art... I think it's a parody of Player's cigaretttes of the time. There's another nice pop-culture riff on this in the 'James Bond' novel "Thunderball" when Domino spins out girlish fantasies to 007, over caviar and champangne. I enjoy making cultural connections. If I'd made it a career, I'd have a tenured Ivy League professorship. Ah well, if I can maybe overcome "Typewriter Torment" ,"Without A Doubt" I can get a book deal!

[blkmanbat]

love this !!!!!!!! always have!

[ed69netherlands]

splendid splendid splendid.....what a beautiful music!!!!

[Rawego]

gorgeous song. i didn't mean that about Bach... but i'm sure he did. :))

[Rawego]

Bach is spinning in his grave demanding a royalty check, or two! :))

[empathy97]

My favourite music from Procul Harum. I truly love the lyrics. The other is ...what else if not WSOP...

[harrynicholas]

Probably an apocraphal story, but I heard the lyrics were written late one night, and tired and disappointed they were binned, only the cleaner in the morning picked them out of the bin and they got saved.

[rsiegel1050]

this is a great band. one of the great records of all time. gary brooker rules ( and matthlew and b)

[jbhsgossip]

AND Robin...

[1947Chief]

fantastic album

[nogov4me]

To those of you who love Procol Harum: you have taste. One of the best bands I've ever seen at the Filmore. Robin shouldn't be neglected.

[stringmeup2]

I remember seeing them at the Fillmore East. They headlined of course. The opening act was Teegarden & Van Winkle. Forgettable. Paul Winter Consort was up next. They brought the house down. I went out the next day and bought their album. Procol Harum played a bunch of songs off the Salty Dog album pretty much note for note. Much as I loved the album it was a bring down of a performance. Seemed stale.

[juicyjpink]

Is this the all-time greatest rock album or what?

[dunwitchhorror]

Not the greatest. But ONE of the greatest. Nectar for the ears.

Greetings

Steve

[freespyrit]

@juicyjpink it's one of 'em!

[SuperDrummer2012]

@freespyrit by the way 4 great gary brooker solo albums all good

[FragileDreamer13]

@juicyjpink What.

[hardtail1965]

In awe of the lyrics......

[HouseOfGroove]

My Dad had a Nevada license plate that read Hesperus on a 1977 Buick Skylark that he had restored. Go figure LOL

[jduff59]

It's a shame that most of the world missed Procul Harem, sure, who can't remember "Whiter Shade...", but that was only 1 song. Procul had so many great songs, including this gem. Matthew Fisher is an underrated singer, I enjoyed his first solo album very much, this still sounds fresh to me..

[toveksasyout33]

lovely song

[hlhent]

I wish Procol Harum would have had Matthew Fisher sing this song live. He showed another side of the group which I really loved.

[archangelo10]

@hlhent ...I agree with you totally

[rouliann]

so good so british

[chippy783]

When I heard this song in 69 or so I knew I had to hear more of this band. Thanks PH.

Home is their greatest, I think

[757TP]

Agree with Home, but Grand Hotel is excellent in another vein...

[alcalaed]

Are you nuts? there's no greatest with PH songs. It's about everything they created. Listen to Repent Walpurgis and come back to this thread. Or listen to Pilgrim's progress or pandora's box just to name any. there's too many... And they're all great...

[3510211]

big sound

[HURLEYP]

lt's a great pity the legal stoush between Matt Fischer and Gary Brooker over parts of WSOP will probably permanently sever the chance of any future collaboration they may have had.

Unless of course it has been patched up. Seemed unlikely though from what I heard last on the subject

[JimmySmers]

Fischer won the court case

[Bobbytoo]

But lost on appeal. ;0(

[jem3333]

Matthew Fisher didn't lose the entire Appeal, only the part about the royalties, due to the time lag in filing. His co-authorship of AWSoP was upheld on Appeal by a unanimous decision, and the case is now being considered by the House of Lords. See his web page for further developments. And ... Wreck of the Hesperus is One Great Song!!!

[FergusonTO35]

Matthew Fisher sang this one, didn't he?

[avrillo]

Yes he sings vocals and also wrote this song, along with others. He also produced the whole album. An underrated musician who contributed so much to the Procol sound. They were a very special band to me.

[tnibor]

he also was a huge production element to trowers first 3 albums very underrated

[jem3333]

That's also Matthew on piano.

[bassandguitarguy]

Great tune from a great LP! And a great group!

Those were the days for quality songs and groups! One of my favorite tunes is Simple Sister from Broken Barricades!

[beatlebonzo]

Does anyone know if the lead guitarist - Robin

Trower - at this time of this recording, had any

influence on Jimi Hendrix? Jimi was a British

musician for a long time before he was convinced

he would have a big following if he came to the

States.

[jesseglaubitz]

I do know that the song, "Song for a Dreamer" by Robin Trower is dedicated to Hendrix, so it's possible.

[spacepatrolman]

you are making a little inside joke hendrix was a big influence on trower but its possible that hendrix heard something trower did he was into a lot of differant things like ravi shankar the move the big 3 and friar tuck

[Rumblerod]

I can always listen to Procol Harum. They were ahead of their time even more so than say Hendrix.

[valentynesuite]

this is protoprogressive pop! hear seven stones in Nursery Cryme's Genesis album

[spacepatrolman]

bj is realy wipping the hell out of the drums

and the guitar solo sounds like heavy metal the beatles used to watch them reherse

[MrSirMrSirMr]

Ah! My favourite Procol Harum tune.

[dunwitchhorror]

nectar for the ears.

father and son

thank ya

[punditpete]

My friend your musical taste is excellent . You appreciate that wonderfull period of English songwriting from the late sixties through to mid seventies.

What a wonderfull sound this song has. Sadly the british music scene of today is truly appalling and i fear that we will never see song writing of this quality again.

[757TP]

Not sure who said it, but Procul Harum was described as "Johann Sebastian Bach in the Summer of Love". I can't add anyting to that......

[jdal1950]

Thanks haven't heard this tune in quite a while no one can fully appreciate these guys as to live in the moment of it's release "A Salty Dog" knocked me over. "Wider Angle" is an appropriate name for "Beyond These Things" (Eng. for Latin Procol Harum)James David

[Nicatroubadour]

yes a salty dog did that to me too, brilliant.